North Penn coach Maggie deMarteleire earned win number 400 of her remarkable coaching career on Saturday.
Maggie (Algeo) deMarteleire is defined by her passion for the sport of basketball.
The North Penn coach – according to those who know her best – always brought that passion to the court as a player, and she has brought it to the sidelines as a coach.
“Maggie has always been intense – as a player, jayvee coach and now varsity coach,” said Lucille Pritchard, who was deMarteleire’s high school coach at Lansdale Catholic and later coached with her. “She understands the game, and she understands working with female athletes.
“She only demands of her teams what she has always given – 100 percent determination and effort every day.”
That coaching philosophy has led to remarkable success for the veteran coach, who notched win number 400 of a stellar coaching career on Saturday when the Maidens defeated Council Rock North 48-42 in an opening round District One AAAA playoff game.
“Maggie finds a way to win depending upon the players she has,” said assistant coach Lauren Budweg, who played for deMarteleire at LC. “She’s never had one coaching philosophy where she tries to fit her players into a system. She molds the system to fit her players, which is why I think she’s always been successful.”
deMarteleire’s coaching journey began when – prior to the start of the 1988-89 season – she applied for the varsity position at LC, this despite living in New Jersey at the time with her husband and two small children.
“My sister, Mary Fran, had three different coaches for her freshman, sophomore and junior years at LC,” deMarteleire recalled. “I was like, ‘They need something steady.’
“Obviously, I didn’t know if I would be in it this long, but I definitely wanted to be in it more than a few years because they needed structure, and they needed someone to be there all the time instead of so much turnover at the head coaching position.”
Pritchard, who resigned after deMarteleire’s senior year, also applied for the position and was named varsity coach. deMarteleire was hired as the junior varsity coach.
“It was actually very beneficial that she was the head coach because I was too young and inexperienced, and she was a great mentor,” deMarteleire said.
The two women were a study in contrasts on the sidelines.
“She always said that we were ‘fire and ice,’” Pritchard said. “Of course, she was the fire part!"
deMarteleire took over the helm of LC’s varsity program for the 1991-92 season and remained through the 2006-07 season, experiencing the kind of success most coaches only dream of attaining.
Under deMarteleire, LC won 10 PAC-10 championships and advanced to the final four of the league tournament every year except 2001. Twice – in 2001 and 2002 – the Crusaders advanced to the district title game, falling both times in overtime. The Crusaders advanced to states seven times during her tenure.
In 2006, deMarteleire was named the varsity coach at North Penn, a move that stunned many since the name Algeo was synonymous with LC where her father, Jim Algeo, was the legendary football coach.
“The transition from Lansdale Catholic to North Penn couldn’t have been smoother for her,” said her daughter, Jackie (deMarteleire) Stiles. “There was some hesitation, I’m sure, with everyone involved. They have been nothing but wonderful to her and our entire family, and she’s as happy as I’ve ever seen her. She’s at a really good place.”
“It’s all worked out for the best,” deMarteleire added. “I couldn’t ask to be in a better place than where I am. I’ve been treated with such respect. I just love the kids.
Under deMarteleire, the Maidens have earned a district tournament berth in each of the five years she has been at the helm and also earned one trip to states.
“When she started to coach North Penn, the philosophy was so different than what it is now,” Budweg said. “In our first year, basketball was something fun, regardless of how you performed, and in a couple of years, it has become – basketball is fun because we win.
“The kids are dedicated, and they care and work hard, and that’s a reflection of her. She’s changed the attitude of the program.”
During her 22-year coaching career, deMarteleire has averaged over 18 wins a season. Cheltenham coach Bob Schaefer appreciates how difficult it is to amass those kinds of numbers.
“Not many coaches stay in it for the long haul,” said the veteran Lady Panthers’ coach, himself the winner of 752 games. “Maggie has been there and done it for a long time. She’s a well-established top coach in the area. She’s done it at different schools and is a proven product.
“She always has her team ready for games and makes good use of the talent she has. Four hundred wins is an amazing achievement. That’s averaging almost 20 wins a season. There are many coaches out there who have never had a 20-win season. That’s certainly a testimonial to her hard work and the job that she does.”
While deMarteleire’s passion for basketball has translated into a lot of wins, it is not the veteran coach’s biggest source of pride.
“The part I enjoy most is when you see kids develop both on the basketball court and just as high school students to see them grow and mature and succeed,” deMarteleire said. “Your biggest joy is when your team has overachieved. Those have been my best years when my team has overachieved.”
deMarteleire’s coaching philosophy is simple – she demands the best from her players, and she usually gets it. The veteran coach works tirelessly on behalf of her players.
“She’s really invested in the girls, and she really wants what’s best for them,” Stiles said. “She wants them to make the right decisions on and off the court, she wants them to excel academically. If they have the potential to play at the college level, she will do everything she can to help them get there.
“She’s constantly talking to coaches, she’s constantly making DVDs for the recruiting process. She’s a very hands-on coach, and it’s all year round – spring leagues, summer leagues, fall leagues and then giving them a break to make sure they recover. She contacts them if they’re injured to see how they’re doing. She’s just involved.
On a recent Sunday afternoon, deMarteleire was in the stands at Gwynedd-Mercy College, watching back-to-back CYO games that included several future Maiden players.
“She’s trying to strengthen the relationships with the (feeder) schools,” Stiles said. “In that sense, it is a fulltime job, and she loves it.
“She loves watching the girls play to their potential and beating teams they’re capable of beating. It’s nice to see the girls progressing and seeing them benefit from her program.”
deMarteleire was honored at a special post-game reception after Saturday’s district win over Rock North. Seven of deMarteleire’s eight siblings were in attendance. The lone absentee was Mary Frances Traywick, whose daughter Mariah is a standout for a Spring-Ford squad that was in action Saturday as well.
“It’s really special to be part of this,” Maiden senior Emily Hagan said. “She really pushes us, and she’s what makes us really want to win. We want to win the game not just for us but for her too.”
“She definitely knows how to pump us up when we’re down,” senior Steph Knauer added. “She’s one of those coaches – if we’re down, she’ll say, ‘You can do this. I’ve seen you do it before,’ and she’ll bring up past experiences. She really helps us that way.”
deMarteleire offered a word of thanks to those who have helped her along the way.
“I could not have done any of this without my husband,” she said of husband Mike. “He’s just been wonderful and supportive the whole time. My kids are terrific and my dad, especially in my early years, I would go to him for advice, and he would really help me out.
“I’ve really been fortunate to have very, very loyal assistants, and obviously I’ve been blessed with a lot of good basketball players and good student-athletes that represent the school really well.”
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